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When I glance at Ros, he nods with encouragement. I sit up to pull the T-shirt on, then smooth my finger over the name on the folder. Tom Arnold. I don’t recognize it, but I haven’t memorized everyone’s names in town.
With a deep breath, I open the folder, flipping through its contents.
Inside are pictures from where the body was found and others from the coroner’s office. My stomach tightens as I find the one with the blown-up picture of the gruesome wound that killed the wolfman. It looks exactly like the one I remember being inflicted on my mother.
I set the photos aside to skim through the written report, and my eyes catch on a word. “The victim was exsanguinated? What’s the mean?”
The answer comes from Ambros. “Drained of blood.”
The words jolt through me, and I flip back to the pictures, searching for any other wounds. If this were a werewolf kill, there would be more damage, parts of the body eaten… But the only wound is the large bite out of the man’s shoulder.
I turn to Tris. “If someone bleeds out, there would still be blood in the body, right?”
He hesitates before he nods. “Once the heart stops pumping, the blood flow slows. A wound like that would lose a lot of blood, but not all of it.”
I flip back to the pictures of the woods and study the ground. “Shouldn’t there be more blood around the body? Or did it soak into the earth?”
“It didn’t.” Ambros’s expression turns grim. “That’s why Dr. Lopez took so long to perform the autopsy. The bite is from a werewolf, but it’s not a werewolf kill.”
I take in the hard set of his jaw. “You think a vampire was involved?”
He scrapes his hair back from his face. “I’m not sure. It’s also possible that the person was killed somewhere else and then staged in front of our house.”
“But…” I shake my head. “Why would someone do that?”
“To cast suspicion on Owen? Or to cast suspicion on the new vampires in town?” His gaze meets mine. “Or to scare you into leaving Hartford Cove again?”
“I don’t understand.” I glance between him and Tris. “Why would someone want to scare me into leaving?”
Tris wraps his arms around me. “Where would we go if we couldn’t stay here?”
I frown. “Anywhere. I’m rich.”
“But not everyone knows that.” Ros takes the folder from me, slips the photos back inside, and sets it on the nightstand. “If you were still broke and needed to leave, who would offer you shelter?”
My eyes widen in shock. “The witches?”
“Any of these scenarios are possible.” Tris takes my hand. “Which is why, right now, everyone is under suspicion.”
LESSONS IN WANDS
Unease fills me the next day when we sit down at the tables in the garden once more.
Mel and Aspen thought that wand making would be better out in nature, and Haut had grudgingly agreed as long as he and Ros stood guard nearby.
Haut hadn’t been happy when he found out that Tris snuck a copy of the autopsy report, and even less pleased that he shared it with me. But Tris was right that I’m less anxious now that I know what we’re dealing with. While we still don’t know who the killer is, I’m at least not completely in the dark.
The late afternoon sun shines down on us, and while dark clouds hover on the horizon, the wind coming from the direction of town means the storm will stay away from us.
I fidget with the materials on the table in front of me. Tris and Delilah had shared some of the ingredients they gathered, so I’ll have something to work with today. Nothing pulls me toward any of the items, but maybe I just don’t know what a pull feels like. Mel and Aspen hadn’t been very informative on that aspect of things.
I cast a nervous glance toward the woods and relax a little when I spot Ros pacing the tree line. His gun rides on his hip, loaded with silver bullets.
No murder monsters will get past him.
“Alright, everyone.” Mel claps her hands for attention. “Today, we’re going to create our first wands. These will be an extension of your power, so even if you gathered a bunch of materials, choose the ones you use carefully.”
Aspen gives us all an encouraging smile. “On your desks, you’ll find tools to help shape your wands and bind the materials together. As you progress through your training, you’ll find the tools you prefer to work with, and you’ll remake your wand as you grow more confident in your craft.”
